Three new policy documents covering the recruitment and employment of Filipino seafarers and fishers were signed at the close of the country’s first OFW Global Summit, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used a recorded address to commit his administration to broader welfare measures for Filipinos working abroad.
The gathering, held at the Quezon City MICE Center, doubled as the observance of the 31st National Migrant Workers’ Day. In his message, Marcos praised overseas workers as diligent, reliable, caring and resilient, telling them their government stands ready to back them throughout their time abroad and after they come home.
“You can be sure of assistance when needed, adequate protection while you are in another country and clear opportunities when you return to the Philippines and start anew,” the President said. He added: “We will continue to strengthen the programs that truly respond to your needs.”
The Department of Migrant Workers, which organized the event with the Quezon City government and members of the National Reintegration Network, reported that more than 1,400 OFWs and their families tapped into the summit’s services. Job fairs, government service booths, and sessions on workers’ rights, reintegration, entrepreneurship, and safeguards against illegal recruitment and human trafficking filled out the program. A separate batch of 50 returning workers received support through the agency’s National Capital Region livelihood program for reintegration.
The three signed instruments—the 2026 DMW rules governing the hiring of sea-based Filipino workers, plus standard employment contracts for Filipino seafarers and for fishers—are meant to tighten protections for maritime workers, who make up a large share of the deployed workforce.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the reintegration network keeps growing on Marcos’ instructions. The framework, described by officials as a first under the current administration, links 25 government agencies so returning workers can reach services without going office to office.
The annual commemoration falls every June 7, marking the passage of the Migrant Workers Act of 1995. The most recent official count puts the number of Filipinos employed overseas at roughly 2.19 million, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 estimate—the latest figure released.
